


The Nightmare Angel

by CallofTheCurlew



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Complete, Cute, Fluff, M/M, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Adopt Madzie, Post By The Light of Dawn, post 2x10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 12:52:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10854393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallofTheCurlew/pseuds/CallofTheCurlew
Summary: It's dark, but Alec is awake. Madzie sleeps beside him, and Alec can't bear the thought of her hurting. Magnus just wants to help.





	The Nightmare Angel

It’s dark, but Alec is awake.

His hand rests on her back, unmoving except for the gentle rise and fall with her breath. She’s so small. How do children get so small?

“Alexander…”

Magnus’ hair is flat and tousled from sleep; a look Alec rarely gets to see. He is bleary eyed and sleepy, moving as though his limbs are as heavy as lead. He sits gingerly on the side of the bed, careful not to wake the little Warlock.

“A nightmare…” he explains softly, and Magnus presses his face into Alec’s shoulder, weary.

“What was it about?”

Alec’s eyes are pained as he turns them to Magnus, seeking a soft kiss on the lips for support, “She says she can hear them crying.”

Magnus’ face falls. He’s defeated, “No…”

“She remembers it so clearly. It’s too much for her…” his eyes find Magnus’ once more, pleading and desperate. He hates seeing her like this, “With Clary… you…”

“No,” his voice is firm, but Alec can see his sad eyes. How much he wants to help but can’t, “Clary was a mundane. Her mind was weak, and her memories were nothing pivotal. Madzie’s mind is already strong enough to resist the block,” he explains patiently, “And besides. Would you want Madzie to grow up oblivious? With thousands of people knowing what happened, but her having no clue?”

He sighs; Magnus is right, of course. Maybe Alec was never serious. He just didn’t want the little girl to hurt anymore.

“Of course not,” he admits softly, sagging against the Warlock who holds him tight, a kiss placed to his collarbone.  
  
“This will only make her stronger,” Magnus advises him, “It will shape her. Give her purpose.”

“In what way?” Alec is bitter now. He thinks of Jace and Sebastian – one light, the other dark. “Which path will she choose, Magnus? Will she... Use it to help people or....will she use it against them?”

“Madzie will grow in a place full of love.” Magnus is quick to cut in, soothing Alec’s harsh thoughts, nimble fingers running down his back, “You will teach her to fight, to be compassionate and loyal, and to know herself. Catarina and I will shape her magic, let it be part of who she is, not just what she does. Her Aunt Clary and Uncle Jace will teach her how to be fierce and bold, and her weird Uncle Simon will show her the best places to blend in,” he teases softly, but his eyes are still serious, understanding the gravity of the situation – understanding how much Alec feels about this particular issue. “As a Warlock, she will know hatred for her race. As an orphan, she will know yearning for her true parents. She already knows devastation and destruction. All of these things can and will shape her, Alexander. As her guardians we can only hope to guide that shape. By the time she has to make her own decisions, she will know the difference between right and wrong.”

Alec takes a second to reflect on his beautiful words, before his eyebrows turn down into a frown, “That wasn’t a real answer... “

“I’m not a fortune teller, Alexander....” he chides lightly, “I can only draw reasonable assumption from the circumstances before me.”

Another pause; Alec seems melancholy, although with him it’s often hard to tell the difference between sadness and deep thought.

“Come to bed,” Magnus requests after a few more moments, “She’s well asleep,”

He stands but Alec takes another few seconds. He drifts his fingertips over the ridges of her gills, so gently that she shivers. She likes to keep them hidden – too many people stare - but she’s not strong enough to control it while she sleeps. Alec secretly loves them. He’d give anything for her to love that part of herself as well.

She sleeps on, and Alec finally gets to his feet. He allows Magnus to drag him back to bed, his heart heavy for Madzie. Magnus whispers into his hair, tells him more non-answers about their future together. Their cats. Their vacations. Oh, the places they’ll go...

The room starts to light, but Alec is still awake.

He’s haunted by her tears. He wants to ensure her safety. He wants her to never have another nightmare.

She tiptoes into the room at five, shy and hesitant. Dawn rays are just starting to peak in from the blinds and she’s distressed, eyes wide and sad, mouth twisted into a small pout.

He beckons for her in the half-light and she comes, creeping beneath the covers until she’s nestled between them, safe and warm. It isn’t long before her breathing has deepened, returning to her restless dreams.

Finally, with his arms tucked securely around her, Alec sleeps.


End file.
